One year later, Bixby is still half-baked

ZTE Optik tablet hits Sprint for $100 on February 5th, hopes EVDO is good enough

Sprint has officially taken the wraps off the ZTE Optik and, as expected, the 7-inch tablet will be landing for a measly $100 on contract. Of course, to hit that price point you'll have to make some sacrifices, like signing up for a two-year agreement and an appropriate data plan. Not to mention you'll have to settle for a 3G connection -- there's no WiMAX or LTE in sight. Underneath the hood is a respectable dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon and 1GB of RAM pushing Honeycomb to the 1280 x 800 screen. There's also the usual Bluetooth and GPS antennas on board, as well as dual cameras (5MP rear and 2MP front-facing), 16GB of storage and a MicroSD slot for adding more. If you're not keen on locking yourself into a two year contract for a CDMA-only device, you can pick up the Swype-sporting tab for $350 obligation-free on the same day -- February 5th. Check out the complete PR after the break.

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ZTE Optik is an Android Tablet Offering Sprint Customers a Combination E-reader, Media Player and Portable Computing Device at an Affordable Price

ZTE Optik will be available through Sprint direct ship sales channels, including Sprint Stores, Sprint Business Sales, Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) and online (www.sprint.com) for just $99.99 with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement. It will also be available without a service agreement for $349.99, and business customers may qualify for special pricing. (All pricing excludes tax.)

"Sprint is committed to delivering exceptional value and feature-rich devices to our customers," said David Owens, vice president – Product Development, Sprint. "ZTE Optik packs great features for under $100. When this device is combined with our Tablet Connection plans, customers can easily keep their personal and professional lives organized, stay connected with their social networks and get things done while on the go."

Powered by Android 3.2, Honeycomb, the version of Android designed specifically for tablets, ZTE Optik is a dynamic e-reader, media player and portable computing device. It features a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon® processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and 7-inch capacitive touchscreen that allows the user to get work done or stay entertained surfing the web, playing games and watching videos with Adobe® Flash® enabled websites. It has two cameras – a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera and front-facing 2-megapixel camera that enables video chat.

"ZTE Optik is ZTE's first tablet in North America and makes the tablet experience available to a new segment of consumers," said Lixin Cheng, CEO, ZTE USA and president, North America Region, ZTE. "Paired with Sprint's cutting-edge network, ZTE Optik provides an exceptional user experience to consumers who demand affordability, flexibility and mobility in one package."

For those that want to get more out of their tablet, ZTE Optik provides access to Android Market™, which features more than 400,000 useful apps, games and widgets. Additional key features of ZTE Optik include:

ZTE Optik can be activated on one of Sprint's Tablet Connection plans. Sprint offers four plans designed specifically for tablets, starting at $19.99 for 1GB of data, $34.99 for 3GB of data, $49.99 for 6GB of data and $79.99 for 12GB of data.1 (All pricing excludes taxes and surcharges.) Customers are able to view their data usage by logging into My Sprint at www.sprint.com.

ZTE Optik can also be used as a Mobile Hotspot allowing up to five users to simultaneously surf the web using Wi-Fi®. The Mobile Hotspot option is available for an additional $29.99 per month and utilizes data in the customer's tablet plan. (All pricing excludes taxes and surcharges).

About Sprint Nextel Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 53 million customers at the end of 3Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The 2011 American Customer Satisfaction Index showed Sprint is the #1 most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all industries, over the last three years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

About ZTE USA ZTE USA is a subsidiary of ZTE Corporation (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions. ZTE USA is dedicated to making quality communications technology accessible to all. The company draws on more than 25 years of experience and research investment to deliver smart, affordable, quality choices for infrastructure and mobile data device customers nationwide. For more information, visit www.zteusa.com.

About ZTE ZTE is a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions with the most comprehensive product range covering virtually every sector of the wireline, wireless, service and terminals markets. The company delivers innovative, custom-made products and services to over 500 operators in more than 140 countries, helping them to meet the changing needs of their customers while achieving continued revenue growth. ZTE's 2010 revenue led the industry with a 21% increase to USD10.609 billion. ZTE commits 10 percent of its revenue to research and development and takes a leading role in a wide range of international bodies developing emerging telecoms standards. A company with sound corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, ZTE is a member of the UN Global Compact. ZTE is China's only listed telecom manufacturer, publicly traded on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ). For more information, please visit www.zte.com.cn.